God oppinions and beliefs (only freindly debate not to be taken

whats everyones oppinion on god? i am an agnostic (doesn't belive in god and doesn't believe there isn't a god)
aaron

I am christian... sort of. I go to church but don't really understand what it was that happened. Jesus died on the cross for us. Live a holy life and you get to meet him one day. The devil is everywhere trying to turn you from god. Sounds weird for me to say this because i don't usually "preach". But I have had those feelings like something bad is watching me (Mostly when i first started to go to church or whenever i watch the passion) and a prayer or two makes it go away, so I believe in.... haha the power of prayer and I think I just spent a good five minutes babbling about something I know very little about.

God exists, and oneday, you will get the proof.
Actually, its right here, everywhere you look. I don't think people should be as narrow-minded as to not consider how we got here.

-beth

Oh, and Casey, don't be afraid to stand up to what you believe.

"God" is only somebodys opinion on what is "good" (note the one letter difference). Just as the "Devil" is somebodys opinion on what is "evil. Again, a one letter difference.

^I think I might of got this from somewhere else on the site. I can't remember, I just remember reading it and thinking about how much it made sense.

I was raised Christian, and I do believe in an almighty power. However, my faith tends to falter. I mean, with all the religion's out there, how do I know I'm following the right one?
My friend did some research on my behalf and has preached to me about all the different religion's but I'm still a little unsure.
To me attending church is just so hypocritical anyway. I mean you see "Church people" out partying Saturday night (sinning the night away), and they go strolling into church Sunday morning. Then they act like their all better than you because you don't actually attend church. That's just what I've been subjected to in the past.
So I guess to sum it up, I've read parts of the bible and I do believe in a God like spirit. But I am against structured religion.
Not sure if that made sense, but there you have it!

I was raised a christian and really believed for about 10 years... then once i saw outside the christian world i was able to take in information from other sources allowing me to make my own choice.

I dont believe in a God or any higher power, but if you do, thast fine with me. I dont believe in evolution either. A lot of scientists have a problem with the evolution theory. There are other choices such as intellegent design or just accepting the fact that we dont know and never will.

I'm totally with Bob on this one, if you want to believe do so, it is after all your own choice. Dont let others make the choice for you. At least research other choices before making a life changing decision.

I have seen far too many "christians" sucked in because they know nothing about other faiths or religions. and i have also seen many Athiests say they dont believe the bible and yet never read it.

I guess what i am trying to say is just research into things before making your choice... after all you dont buy insurance before researching the different choices available.

Ive never been a christian because i just can't accept that God would create so much evil in the world...

But i did GCSE re.. and now do A level Philosophy and study Islam.... and even thought im not religious at alll! i can now start to see why many believe in God. At the moment where doing the Cosmological Argument and ive had to write essay after essay on its strengths and weaknesses... and i'm actually starting to believe in it more and more. Its wierd cos im not believing in God more.. but just that something must have started creation... something must have started this chain of cause and effect that everything is in...

But yeh i could go on and on and on about theis and looooads of other arguments proving God.. but im not goona.

Sooo hmmm thats my view =)

And i think its good that soooo far this forum has stayed friendly cos im sick of posting opinions just to have them laughed at and people turning nasty about them.

Love Kate x~X~x

where do you think all the religions came from (if you belive in a certain religion where did the others come from?)?
aaron

theotherapy

http://search.netscape.com/ns/search?query=
theotherapy&x=10&y=4&fromPage=NSBoom

^^^^ o.......k........?

o i c its a link

I believe we all at times in our lives accept or reject God. I wrote to a person in prison who said she enjoyed the Theotherapy programs offered in her facility. She has managed to stay out of prison for almost a year now. She is struggling with addiction

'Lets face it, the heart doesn't think or control our bodies and thought ' but the heart is a metaphor for emotion

‘God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.’
Many times we follow our own wills. Many of the prisoners go back to breaking laws which destroys the peace whithin

'-ego is baaad...nevermind strengthening it'.
To the contrary, how can a person even desire forgiveness if they can not see they have any worth?

Michael D Nalley--

No offense meant, but I was somewhat enjoying reading this topic until you inserted that excessively long URL that elongated the entire thread here. Could you PLEASE take just a minute to shorten that URL and edit your post.
Thanks.

You don't have to remove the URL. This is one of several web sites you can use to easily and quickly shorten a long URL:

www.tinyurl.com

I believe that for some people there is a god(s), but others like myself don't need one. I think God is a symbol of hope, and that symbol helps the people who believe in it, through hard times. I was raised as a Catholic, and I am still forced to attend sunday school. So thats the only religion I can say that I'm truly knowledgable of, and I think its not at all real. I don't believe Jesus was the son of God, or that Mary was a virgin (whores were stoned then- remember) plus they didn't know about skitzophrenia, or halusinations (sp?) But like Bob said, I wasn't there this is just my opinion. I also think the church is very hypocritical, they say "we are all welcome" but gay people and divorcees are turned away. I have nothing against people of this religion, or people who practice religion. But it makes me mad when people discriminate against people of other (or no) religions, or when someone says that they will pray so I can be "found". My oppinion might be biased due to the fact that I'm very resentful that I have to go to sunday school where I am tought things I don't believe in.

Angelina, God created evil to test us, because, remember, we were the ones who sinned.
At the end of the world, I believe that God will bring us a better world, but for now we are being tested.

By the way, I don't believe in evolution. Look at the world, does it look several million years old?
Scientists can't create a single drop of water, and I don't believe that they have been at all accurate when deciding how old the earth was. In fact, they are probably a few millions off.

About religious people being narrow-minded, I myself don't belong to any "religion."
I am a Christian, so I'll attend all churches that serve God, but so far I haven't found one that was real.
These religious people do go out and party saturday night and go to church sunday (some of them, anyway.) But they're just "religious" not Christian.

-beth

I for one am an Atheist. I mean people can believe what ever they want to, but I just don't see the point (personally). I mean if we are supposed to be the "immage and likeness of god" as I've heard it put...and god is supposed to be perfict then why are there so many problems in the world? I do for one however believe in the theory of evolution. I don't know why but it just makes so much sense. I have been a Christian for the first 14 years of my life and I never exactally knew what they were talking about in church. None of it seemed to make sense to me. My parents still go to church and they can't understand why I do not...but I jsut feel that I shouldn't have to spend what little time I have free going to church and learning about something that I don't believe in.

THEOTHERAPY IS A PROGRAM THAT WILL HELP A PERSON IN LIFE. GOD HEALS EVERYTHING. IT HELPS YOU TO COPE WITH LIFE, ON LIFES GROUNDS. IF YOU BELIEVE IN GOD THEN THIS PROGRAM WILL HELP. IT TAKES YOU BACK TO WHEN YOU WHERE A CHILD. THING THAT HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE AS A CHILD MAKES YOU DO THINGS AS AN ADULT, BUT THIS PROGAM WILL HELP YOU GET THROUGH THE BAD TIMES AS A CHILD, TO HELP YOU GET ON WITH LIFE THROUGH GOD. GOD HEALS. JUST REMEMBER THAT GOD WILL BE THERE ALWAYS. IM VERY HAPPY TO SAY THAT I GRADUATED THIS PROGRAM AND I HOPE YOU WOULD DO THE PROGRAM TOO THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU AND ANYONE ELSE

no, Ismail, I can't really respect ppl going on a saturday night party and then going to church on sunday. Oh, I don't mean that there's anything wrong with a party, but many people get drunk and take drugs. I believe that that is wrong.

My idea of "religious" is people who follow a "religion."
I believe that God is life, not just a religion.

-beth

Elizabeth is very wise it would great if we could have all of the beatitudes that Jesus spoke of. Many want mercy for only themselves, and are not willing to share it. Blest be the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. If we seek only justice we shall obtain only justice

‘Oh yes Michael, Elizabeth is wise…And wisdom usually comes from narrow-minded ignorance coupled with superiority complex.’
I disagree that wisdom usually comes from narrow-minded ignorance coupled with superiority complex.’
The wise usually accept knowledge from experiences of life it is narrow minded ignorance that causes a person to see faith as something below reason and rationalization

’I dislike the fact you even mentioned that. Elizabeth clearly showed herself to be condescending to those who do not practice her own religious rituals. So what if they drink, does that make them any less worthy to pray to their lord. I think not.’
Ismail I am a fifty year old recovering alcoholic. I certainly do not believe that everyone who parties is an alcoholic. I believe that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God and has an inviolable dignity value and worth. If and when we sin we reject the love of God but God loves all of His children .

Oh and Michael:

’Justice and Mercy are the tools of God, is that not right? And mercy is not a human trait but a divine trait’
When we accept God into our hearts we have divine traits

Listen, this is not a very good thread idea, I mean, all of use have different beliefs, like,
1) We came from primates
2) God put us here
3) No religion

So, don't make threads like this, bad idea, because every one believes in thir own religion, I know that it is a debate, but some people can get very offended, and yes they have a choice to come to this thread or not, but, I mean really. Not being hypicritacle, but it really isn't a good idea. And if some one says we "evovled" from primates, don't argue with them, because I really don't think they will change their own beliefs for some one they don't even know.

-*-Cherri-*-
Bye

well first off i only added it as a thread because i presumed that everyone is mature enough not to get upset about people on a web-site's different views on god.so far i think everyone has been respecful and noone has offended anyone. I have changed my religious belifs not 'for' someone i didn't know but 'because' of someone i didn't know. If i didn't have that disscussion i probably would have been an athiest not agnostic. How are we supposed to understand and respect other people's oppinions and veiws if we don't disscuss them? so i think it was a good idea.
aaron

I believe we have had similar topics like this in the past and they all come down to no one agreeing to see the other side how the other side wants to be seen (true in every aspect of their beliefs). Bottom line no one wants to think they are believing the wrong thing, expecially when it has to do with existence. And as Bob says, no one in here can state anything as fact, just belief, because no one was there, or is there today. You are all here on earth without all the answers.

And Ismail I think you entirely misjudged beth's statement. She was not trying to condescend anyone, she just states that those who claim to be, and dont live it, aren't truly it.

'Bottom line no one wants to think they are believing the wrong thing, expecially when it has to do with existence.' I would love it if someone gave me an arguement strong enough to change my beliefs. I can't prove god but at the same time i can't disprove god, i challenge anyone who can convince me either way.

never said people dont have some answers, just said that they dont have all the answers. And I would not go nearly as far as saying i have nearly all the answers. That is overestimating myself severly

Oh God not another one....ok..

I like to seperate the idea of God from Religion, because i think modern religion is only a tiny bit better than old fashioned crusade witch burning religion...and, being a gay friendly guy who likes sex without marriage, thinking about my neighbours wife and her sister in bed together whilst at the same time believing in sexual equality and all manner of other "sins"...it's hard for me to reconcile my understanding of god with the Religions attached to him [he/she whatever]

i think thats why so many people can't get God, because to use a social metaphor, he's like a pretty cool guy who hangs around with a bunch of redneck idiots[organised religion]....making it hard to get to know him without suffering their stupid opinions.

Me and the big man are tight...i just don't like his earthly representation.

The problem is religion I doubt many people really know God because of all the lies.

Sorry to intrude, but even the most "mature" person, can be offended. And I never said that people have to read this, I just hate it when people get offended. And, I'm a Christain, I believe God died on the cross, and I don't need facts to prove it, I believe it, because that is what I've been tought, ever since I could breath. Nothing will make me debate on some thing I'm passionate about. I do not put my Lord in "debates" or "votes" or whatever, for that is how I am. And I'm glad we all can share our feelings. I never said I wasn't, so thank you all for your time, goodbye. God be with all of you, even if you have other thoughts. But I pray for every one of you, like in my poem, "Message To Everyone Here" I've heard many storys of very sad teens, so I pray for you all, everyone here. I pray that GOD be with you all. For he is the only one I pray to.

-*-Cherri-*-

Ismail, first of all there are others ways of learning about God without religion. If you do not recall there are several famous writers, mostly transcendentalists who believe that the best way to find out about God is to find out about one's self, and nature. Basically be with the things God created to find out about God. Learn about the creator through the creation. And knowing about God, what he did, what he will do, what people say about him, is a shit load difference between knowing him. I know all sors of stuff about Michael Jordan, but I do not know him. This must be clear. And the other thing is that somewhere along the line there was no religion to tell people about God. People would have to come before religion. So in essence there were people, then religion, but religion is supposedly about God, well then with out a knowledge of God there could be nothing to write down for religion. So someone had to accumalte a knowledge of God without religion to create a religion based around God. Therefore, yes there are ways to learn about God outside of religion, if there weren't then there could be no religion. Therefore God has at some point existed exclusive of religion. And, if religion continues to study things about God and not God, or to only relay religious beauracratic rituals then it too is existing exclusive from God.